I don’t get very many Christmas letters anymore. I suppose that with email and social networks they are becoming a thing of the past. But in my generation there are still people who don’t have computers or who have them, but seldom use them. So I enjoy hearing about their families and their trips and their jobs via their annual letter.

I got a letter yesterday that reminded me of how different some of my friends are from me and how much I enjoy their adventures. I have friends who are still camping and hiking and doing all sorts of wild and crazy things that my old mind and body can’t imagine. They are healthy and tough and super sports fans. Always have been. Their letter was filled with things I wouldn’t even believe if someone else had written it.

Christmas letters used to be the fodder for a plethora of jokes. People only included their offspring’s greatest achievements and grandest plans in their annual letters. Trips were always postcard worthy. Careers always lucrative and personally fulfilling. So of course everyone ended up sounding perfectly perfect. Nowadays no one is perfect and none of us care. Social networking, YouTube, and email have made everything so immediate that there is no time or reason to sugar coat the truth. Although I suspect some people are doing some serious photo editing! Lol

I’m grateful to the internet for some of the changes that have occurred in our culture in the past decade. Of course the media has always done their best to bring our darkest, deepest secrets to the forefront, but the internet has served to let us know that we are not alone, we are not that different from anyone else, and we do not have to suffer in silence. I think we’ve all learned that we’re human and fallible and it is the friend who accepts the real us and our real life who is worthy of our time and attention.

I still like a little privacy. I don’t tell you everything, believe it or not. But I think sharing thoughts and feelings is a good thing. I think the more we connect with each other, the more likely we are to care about what happens in other communities and states and nations. We’re all in this together.

So keep those cards and letters and emails and status updates coming. I enjoy them so much! I haven’t learned to Twitter yet, but who knows. It’s going to be a new year soon. You never know what I might do next!

Okay, you get two posts for the price of one today, because while I was doing the breakfast dishes Babe decided to play with her yogurt box and I couldn't resist taking pictures. I paid $11 dollars for her new scratching post in hopes that it would give her a little activity during the winter. She hasn't touched it. I've moved it to three different locations. No thanks. However, when the trash bin was full a few weeks ago, I put this yogurt box on the floor next to it. You parents of little children know what happened next! She claimed it as her own and has played with it daily ever since. She turns it over, hugs it, jumps on it, lunges for it. She is so entertained by this box! And she is thrilled if I stand it on end and let her knock it down. Why did I not figure this out sooner? I could have saved myself eleven bucks!

Do you really want to know how many things can go wrong on a single day at school? Probably not. So let me just say that after twelve I stopped counting. J The Christmas Party was the highlight of our day and thankfully went quite well. I had lots of parents and very few mishaps.

I’m always touched by the support and kindness of our staff, but it is especially evident during the holidays. We all buy little treats for each other and for the students. One of the teachers brought me hot chocolate for breakfast. Another brought homemade goodies one day. Others made little ornaments. There are cards in the mailboxes and anonymous chocolates find their way to my desk. One of our administrators provided doughnuts for everyone. Our principal bought pizza for lunch Friday. We cheer each other through health problems and family issues. We cover for each other if holiday plans interfere with after school duties. We share family photos and stories of children and grandchildren. Such are the benefits of working in a small school where people feel like members of an extended family. I was thinking as I drove away Friday, that I will actually miss everyone during the break. I hope and pray they all have a wonderful holiday.

Not everyone will have a wonderful holiday. We forget that sometimes. As we waited for the ICU doors to open last night, I thought about all the people across the world who will either be in a bed or at a bedside during the holidays. Robert was in the hospital one Christmas and I remember the many kind strangers who stopped by to visit the children’s hospital. I still have a little ornament given to him by some group that was visiting the hospital that year. Just a suggestion if you are looking for an “act of kindness” to round out your week’s plan.

We’ve already had news from three families who have lost loved ones this week. It is difficult to gather for the holidays when someone is missing. Mom died just before Thanksgiving and it was so hard to sit at the table without her. I know these families will appreciate the love and support of their friends and neighbors in the coming weeks.

So…take care these next few days. Be kind to others. Be patient. Be understanding. Share a little and smile a lot. Santa isn’t the only one watching.

Yesterday we finished our parent gifts. The children made photo frames last week and I put their Christmas photos in them. Yesterday they decorated paper lunch sacks with tree cutouts and stickers. I folded the tops over, punched a hole in them and tied a ribbon. We don’t do “fancy” in my class. I have neither the time nor the patience for complicated crafts.

We also learned how to cut snowflakes yesterday! It was so much fun to watch! Over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at simplifying the procedure and instructions, so most of my students were successful. The first ones were rather primitive, but the sixth and seventh ones were quite good. Today I’m sure I will have several students begging to do more. And I posted one of my best snowflakes and this note on my door for our custodian: “Ms. M, We are learning to make snowflakes. We are sorry for the mess.” We did pick up most of the scraps, but she liked the note anyway.

Another thing we did this week was paper chains. These are always a favorite! I have a book that shows a little girl decorating her tree with paper chains. We read the book and then I showed the children how to make the loops. I always tell them the same thing, “You must make at least six loops for your project, but you may make more if you like. If we run out of paper strips I will cut more.” They always go crazy once they learn the process, and I always have to cut more strips! One boy worked during both “free choice” times and ended up with a chain five feet long! He had to have a sack to take it home. Then other students thought it was so cool that he had the sack- they had to make theirs longer so I would give them a sack. Kids this age are so funny!

This time of year reminds me again of the reasons I love kindergarten. Though they may ask for cell phones and iPods, and adore Hannah Montana, they still find joy in the simplest things.

Have a great day! It’s Friday. J

Oh, and here is an encore of my amaryllis. Two blossoms and two more buds.

I am cautiously optimistic this morning. John’s surgery went well and he has started the process of recovery. Any of you who have had any sort of surgery know that the next few weeks and months are difficult. The body is not fond of intrusion or pain. It fights back in unexpected ways before restoration is achieved. I just pray that all goes well and that this is a turning point for my brother’s health.

I hope it is also a turning point for my own health. I have let my weight creep up again and my exercise slide. I’ve gone from yoga and the gym, after Mom’s death, to nothing again. I have a perfectly good treadmill taunting me each morning as I retrieve my coat from the extra bedroom. I’ve been on it twice this winter. Shame.

I’m not sure why we need these “slap in the face” reminders to take care of ourselves. Is it because we are busy? Taking care of others? Working insane hours? Lazy? Too interested in the pleasures of eating? Or is it much more complicated? I’m not sure, even in my own case. I eat a pretty normal diet by most standards, but obviously I’m not paying enough attention to what my particular needs are or I wouldn’t be overweight. Something to seriously ponder during the break.

My friend Suzanne is also recovering. She is home now and trying to build up her strength for the next planned surgery in February.

It’s time to put to rest the notion that I can’t cook. Of course I can cook! I grew up in a poor family with three hungry brothers. I raised three children and a husband! It’s just that, well, things happen. A few calls to the fire department, a couple of trips to the emergency room with bloody fingers, a few less-than-perfect meals because your head is in a book, and people start saying bad things about you. Pretty soon your children make jokes and write blogs and you have a reputation on Facebook.

In the early days of my marriage/parenting I really cooked. I made bread and birthday cakes and holiday dinners and dishes for church potlucks. But let’s just say that “great dishes” were few and far between. I don’t have to be hit in the head to understand where my talents are and they aren’t in the kitchen. Over the years I’ve learned that frozen foods and mixes are my friends! “Assembling” meals is something I can now do quite efficiently, but my children hardly refer to it as cooking.

And apparently from the evidence of these photos it also took me a while to learn how to clean and arrange a kitchen! I should probably be ashamed to post this one where it looks like a tornado struck. In my own defense I think I had a small kitchen and I was in the middle of a big holiday dinner. Lol(and, YES! I have a shirt on under that robe!)

Anyway, if you are cooking for Christmas, be sure to have the phone handy just in case. You never know who you might need to call.

I love to paint. I haven’t taken out my easel in years, but I know where it is. I know it will wait for the day when I don’t have quite so many other obligations and I’m seeking the joy that only comes from the process of transforming a white canvas. Perhaps this summer I will take it out and paint my view. I’ve been thinking about that red barn for quite some time.

My grandmother gave me a paint-by-number set when I was about nine. Do you know they still make those? Saw them at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and I was absolutely transported in time. I stood there and stared at the horse scene for so long I was afraid someone would call the manager. But I know that is one of the pictures I painted as a child!

I got two painted surprises in the mail last week. My granddaughter, Taylor, who has been painting since she could hold a brush, sent me this amazing acrylic scene. I hung it in my office where I can see it each day. And each day I see something a little different in it. It is the work of a child and yet there is so much maturity and control in the style. The colors were chosen just for me. It makes me smile! And I hope there was joy in the process. A painting after all, is a gift of feelings.

My cousin paints. Several other family members have painted at one time or another. And I have many friends who paint. Barbara sent me a Christmas card last week with one of her paintings printed on the front. It is a remarkable watercolor and I hope to share it with you soon. However, I want to ask her first and I know she is preoccupied at the moment. Her husband is having a biopsy tomorrow. Please pray for him.

Also on the prayer list for the next two weeks: my cousin’s son died this weekend, my brother is having heart surgery Wednesday and my friend MJ’s daughter-in-law is having heart surgery on the 29th. And continue to pray for Suzanne as she recovers and heals so she can have another knee replacement.

I’ve heard it said that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Well most of the folks in our family have walked that line very cautiously for generations. We’ve had a few laughs about it and more than a few sessions of therapy. Karen sent me a little ornament this year that says it best. So if you think your family has problems and you are dreading the holiday dinner, or the Christmas Eve get-together, or whatever, rest assured that I understand. I seriously doubt that you could tell me anything, ANYTHING, about anyone in your family that I couldn’t match, or trump, with someone from ours. That’s the hand we were dealt.

However, I’ve also realized over the years that we are an extremely gifted group. Along with the problems of alcoholism and addictions and depression and unpredictable behavior, we have been given creativity and intelligence and the gift of gab. Our family has created six generations of writers, artists, musicians, gardeners, seamstresses, chefs, and craftsmen. We’ve even allowed a few politicians, teachers, nurses, and attorneys to sit at the table with us.

I suppose the genetic package anyone gets must have some flaws. Otherwise we’d just go around feeling proud and invincible all the time. And if I had to choose a combination I think “genius, artist, crazy person” is probably as good as any. At least our family is certainly interesting!

Our family is our gift from God. We may not always like them. We may never understand them. But we know that when the going gets rough we can pull together and find strength in numbers and comfort in shared experiences. We can put aside our differences and do whatever needs to be done. There are members of my family I’ll probably never see again except in a hospital waiting room or at a funeral or wedding or graduation. We have separate lives and very separate values. But we will always be family. God planned it that way.

Two things happened this week to remind me that I will be okay. This too shall pass. Winter will annoy me and make me uncomfortable for a few weeks, but when it is over I will glory in the wonder of spring.

First of all, our amaryllis bloomed! It amazes me each year to watch the bulb burst forth with such beauty just as everything outside is dying. I was tired of our traditional red one so I chose something a little different and I’ve been waiting anxiously to see it. And it has three more buds!

Second, my first spring catalog arrived!! Yeah. Even though my photography isn’t that great you can still see the big 92 on the front. That’s 92 new plant varieties! It will take me weeks to read about all of them. And if you have never ordered from Bluestone Perennials I urge you to try them. I’ve never been disappointed by a plant I’ve ordered from them. Always healthy and happy! And their prices are reasonable. The great thing about catalogs is that you don’t get the same old plants that everyone is buying from the big box stores. I’m especially pleased by their Echinacea varieties. And if you don’t know what to order they have pre-planned gardens.

I know that the next few weeks will bring more catalogs and I can sit by the fire planning my garden. A hope of spring is all I need to keep me smiling through the cold.

Yes, I know I’m a big whiner. I have no right to complain about “winter” when it will be 68 degrees tomorrow followed by a week in the fifties. I feel sorry for those of you who have months of snow ahead. I know that pretty flowers and catalogs won’t be enough compensation for you. I can only say that there is still some property available just down the road. Not too late for you to move! J

Thank you for everything! I like gold stars and presents. I want a pillow pet and a robot and then I can control him. I can push the button. And a big pool. And I hope you bring me the coolest robot costume ever!

Love,

W

Well, the UPS man brought me the COOLEST ELEPHANT ever! Thank you so much to Karen, Ann, and Taylor! The girls suggested that I name it Tinny because it is actually a metal watering can. However, I decided to name her Tennie, because I actually had a great-great Aunt Tennie! lol